Review // Garnet Flats, Whispers of You, and Mourning Wood

September 15, 2023


I love book recommendations and these three books came across my eyes too many times to resist. I more than enjoyed them and will definitely be reading more from these authors!


Garnet Flats by Devney Perry


Standalone - The Edens #3
Genre/Trope - Contemporary Romance / small town & second chance
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - descriptive scenes
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 346 pages

Talia Eden loved Foster Madden for one year, two months and eleven days. It was on day 438 that her love died. The day he chose to marry her best friend. The day she vowed never to think of Foster again.

Until years later when he has the audacity to show up in her small hometown of Quincy, begging for her help.

The ink on his divorce papers is barely dry, yet he comes armed with apologies and promises. She knows it’s all a ploy. Foster is the king of games and secrets. But he’s got delusions the size of Montana if he thinks she’ll help him train for a world championship fight.

Except Talia has forgotten exactly what made Foster famous. The man has dedicated his life to victory. He’s steadfast. He’s determined. And he won’t stop fighting until he’s won her heart.

My Rating - ★★★★

If all contemporary romances read as easy as this one, I'd read more of them!

I loved pretty much everything I found in this book. The tension between Talia and Foster gave me the chills I needed. Their undeniable chemistry had me flipping the pages way too fast. I really enjoyed the back-and-forth between these two: finding some truth and understanding; forming a family bond with Kadence; and finding their way back to each other. I didn't like the reason why they were apart in the first place. I felt it was something that Talia deserved to know. I just didn't understand the urgency in keeping it all a secret from her. She was heading out anyway, let's be real. However, I get that they needed a reason to be apart and besides all of that, I loved this book. I'll be reading the two books before this one and I'll definitely be reading Jasper's story. Looks like it'll be hilarious!!


Whispers of You by Catherine Cowles


Standalone - Lost & Found #1
Genre/Trope - Contemporary Romance / small town / second chance
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - descriptive scenes
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 369 pages

One night—a single bullet—cost me everything.

My body, broken beyond repair. The boy I’d thought was my forever. The life I’d always dreamt of.

Now, Holt’s back. And he’s no longer a boy, but a man with shadows in his eyes and demons haunting him.

He says he’s here to make things right. To get back a little bit of all we’ve lost. And he doesn’t show any signs of leaving the small town that has been my refuge.

As stolen moments turn to days, Holt’s around every corner. With his burning stare and lingering touches. Before long, my walls come crashing down and I’m just hoping that taking this second chance isn’t as reckless as it feels.

But not everyone is happy that Holt has returned. As tragedy strikes again, I’m the one left in the crosshairs. And Holt might not be able to save me this time…

My Rating - ★★★★

I've seen several reviews of this author from Renee at Addicted to Romance and figured I'd take a chance. I'm so freaking glad I did!

Two boys went on a rampage and Wren barely survived. Not only was she shot, her boyfriend left her, and she had to pick up her own pieces and start living again. When Holt comes home, TEN YEARS LATER, life as they both knew it was going up in smoke. Wren spent that time trying to forget Holt and he spent that time never forgetting her. Their chemistry was still strong and there was no denying the depth of the love these two shared.

I enjoyed the suspenseful element to this story. While I did guess pretty much from the start who the bad guy was, I liked getting to the big reveal. I absolutely adored Holt's family and I'm excited to read their books. I'll definitely be reading more from this author!


Mourning Wood by Heather M. Orgeron


Standalone
Genre/Trope - Contemporary Romance / single mom
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - descriptive scenes
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 278 pages

After an ill-fated one-night stand, Wyatt Landry was the last person I ever expected to see again.

By design, mind you, as I spent the last two years avoiding him.

He was only ever meant to be a good time—a really good time—and now, thanks to one teensy little mistake, he’s back in my life and wielding an entirely different set of tools.

It’s not like I intentionally hired a bogus contractor to redo our chapel, and Lord knows I never imagined Wyatt would ride up in his pickup truck, like a knight in thigh-hugging blue jeans, to save the day.

But here he is, and to make matters worse, he’s every bit as charming as I remember, and before I can fully process his reappearance in my life, he has my six-year-old daughter wrapped around his finger, my parents eating out of the palm of his hand, and my best friend shipping us like we’re some celebrity couple.

Thankfully, working in the death industry, I’ve mastered the skill of compartmentalization. Keeping my growing feelings tucked away should be a piece of cake. Except, seeing him every day definitely throws a wrench in that plan.

Before I know it, we’re trading favors for dates, and as much I don’t want to admit it, the feelings for him I thought were dead and buried are taking root and growing into something that looks a lot like love.

My Rating - ★★★1/2

I wanted to like this story more, however, I felt like it was trying too hard. For as sexy as that one-night stand sounded, I expected Wyatt and Whitney to be sexier. And they eventually got there, but it took too much to happen. Did I need to know the details of every funeral plan that came through the Daigle doors? I get it, Whitney's daughter, Prissy, was unique. I GET IT!! But can we focus a bit more on the couple? Because their chemistry was there, but it got outshone by everything else happening in this story. I loved ALL of the characters (for real, Whit's parents were amazing) and I really liked how their interactions played out. I just wanted more time with the couple. I'm greedy, I guess.

OMG can I just say that school dance scene?!?!?! I freaking love Wyatt!!

2 comments

  1. I thought the secret in Perry's book was stupid, too. It kind of ruined things for me. The prologue for Whispers of You broke me! I'm glad you enjoyed that one. That last book sounds super irritating. I loved the blurb, but I would have been frustrated as well. Great reviews.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks hon! xo
      I'm just glad I'm not alone with my irritation LOL
      I'll definitely be reading more from Catherine Cowles. I really like the way she writes :)

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